Anomaly

I wasn't sure whether the others had noticed that there was something beneath the intersection where we were standing. However, all it took was one look at my posture, my eyes completely fixed on the asphalt, as if I were trying to see through it, for Arthur to be the first to put the pieces together: “Did you find something?” Arthur's voice wasn't loud enough to draw the crowd's attention, but it was clear enough for Charlotte, Victor, and Rupert to hear.

Almost immediately, the three of them turned their eyes toward me. For a brief moment, I felt everyone's attention converge on me, searching not only for an answer, but perhaps for a way out of the desperate situation we'd gotten ourselves into. I could have explained exactly what I was seeing.

I could have tried to put that strange sensation into words, the hidden presence lurking beneath our feet. But, honestly, we'd moved past the prologue a long time ago. At this point, pretending that things still followed the rules of normal reality was pointless. So instead of explaining, I simply nodded.

A silent confirmation of Arthur's question. The effect was immediate. Charlotte's expression grew more serious, while Victor cast a quick glance at the ground beneath our feet. Rupert, on the other hand, remained motionless for a few seconds, as if he were trying to decide whether he really wanted to know what was down there.

The next moment, Rupert casually shrugged, as though trying to brush off the weight of the situation before finally breaking the silence: “Well, that's just great! At least we're not wandering around a residential neighborhood like a bunch of idiots picking out houses to rob anymore. That's a pretty significant improvement...” He paused briefly, glancing around before frowning: “But honestly, I still have no idea how this helps with our current situation”

Rupert's relaxed expression slowly faded, replaced by a noticeably darker look. He scanned the street, watching the surrounding area as though he expected something to leap out of the shadows at any moment.

“Speaking of which... what the hell is going on with everyone?” he asked, lowering his voice slightly: “Did we show up late to some kind of bizarre play or something? Because if that's the case, I'm giving the guest treatment a solid zero”

Victor was the only one to react to Rupert's monologue. He let out a low, tired sound, somewhere between a sigh and a grunt, while discreetly rubbing his temple.

Watching the exchange, Charlotte decided to step in before things became even more awkward: “Uh... sorry to interrupt your little moment, but...” she began, hesitantly raising one hand. She paused briefly and glanced around: “Could we, please, focus on not upsetting all these... lovely, terrifying neighbors?”

Charlotte subtly gestured toward the crowd with her eyes: “Because, honestly, those expressions don't exactly look like the faces of people who are happy to have us here” Her tone remained light, almost playful, but there was an unmistakable tension beneath her words.

Victor and Rupert immediately stopped whatever they had been doing. Without exchanging more than a brief glance, they both stepped away and planted their feet firmly on the ground, adjusting their stances almost instinctively.

Their shoulders tensed. Their muscles were ready. Their eyes swept across the crowd with renewed attention. They were ready to act. However, they weren't the only ones affected by Charlotte's words. It was almost as if a domino effect had swept through the crowd.

One face turned. Then another. And then another. Within seconds, dozens of eyes simultaneously focused on Charlotte. Even the people behind us, people we could barely see because of the absurd number of bodies packed together, seemed to have found the exact same point of interest. Charlotte.

Charlotte naturally noticed the extra attention she'd attracted. Her shoulders immediately hunched, and she took a few steps backward, instinctively moving closer to me as if seeking some measure of safety: “Did I... say something wrong?”

Her voice came out low and hesitant. Charlotte swallowed hard, shooting a quick glance at the people around us before looking back at me, clearly unable to understand why the atmosphere had suddenly changed. Honestly, I didn't have the slightest idea either. I didn't know why everyone had suddenly become so attentive, much less what exactly had triggered such a reaction.

Still, seeing the discomfort written across Charlotte's face, I felt the need to reassure her: “No, you didn't...” Before I could finish, however, a man's voice interrupted us.

And what did he say? Definitely something that sent a chill through our bones: “You are not welcome here, Hope” The old man's voice was firm and low, carrying a strange sense of authority. There was no anger in his tone, nor the slightest hint of hesitation. It was simply a statement. As though it were an absolute truth that allowed no room for argument.

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And somehow, his expression was what bothered me the most. It had barely changed. Not even the slightest trace of fear, surprise, or hostility appeared on his face. He simply continued staring at us with those old, motionless eyes, as if he already knew exactly what would happen next.

Then the crowd around us began repeating his words: “Not welcome...” One voice. Then another. And another. Until dozens of people were speaking at once, forming a low, deeply unsettling chorus: “Not welcome... not welcome... not welcome...”

Right... The situation was definitely reaching a whole new level of terrifying. The worst part was that no one seemed genuinely outraged. There were no screams, no threats, no exaggerated displays of hostility. They simply repeated those words, one after another, as if they were carrying out some kind of ritual.

And then, while I was still trying to understand what the hell was happening, I felt something change. I raised my eyes. That's when I realized it. They were all looking at me. Not just a few people. Everyone.

The dozens of faces scattered throughout the crowd had turned in our direction, their eyes converging on me all at once. The murmuring stopped almost instantly. What remained was a silence so complete that, for a few seconds, I could hear nothing but my own breathing.

“... Hello?” My question came out quieter than I intended. No one answered. For several seconds, I remained completely still, staring at the mass of people as an uncomfortable feeling slowly spread through my body.

Then, a woman in the middle of the crowd took a step forward. Her eyes were fixed on me: “Guardian” The word came out almost as a whisper. A moment later, the entire crowd repeated it: “Guardian!”

The woman tilted her head slightly, as if she were trying to see something through me. Then she spoke again: “You are not welcome here” There was a brief pause: “Your protection... is weak”

Once again, as though obeying a single will, the crowd answered in unison: “Protection... weak!” A shiver ran down my spine. The woman continued staring at me: “Very weak...” And this time, the chorus came even quieter, almost like a collective murmur: “Very... weak...”

In the end, I simply remained silent. Was she talking about me? What the hell was this whole “Guardian” thing supposed to mean? Victor, Rupert, Arthur, and Charlotte seemed to share the same doubts. The four of them cast wary glances around, examining the crowd surrounding us as if they were trying to find some hidden clue among the sea of people.

Victor was the first to break the silence: “We’re running out of time” His voice was quiet but firm. He kept his eyes on the crowd as he continued: “I think the [Angel of Death] stirred them up for some reason. Whatever that reason is”

I shook my head, trying to make it clear that I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Still, given the situation we were in, no one seemed willing to take their eyes off the crowd for very long.

Arthur took a deep breath before answering: “We can deal with that once we’re no longer at...” He cut himself off. His eyes discreetly swept across the surrounding faces, assessing every movement and every subtle shift in posture. Only then did he finish: “... a disadvantage”

“Great” Rupert's response came with the faint hint of sarcasm that was quickly becoming familiar. A thin layer of sweat trickled down the sides of his face, and despite the crooked smile on his lips, his eyes remained fixed on the crowd: “Normally, my job involves anomalies...” He let out a short, humorless laugh: “But now that I think about it, dealing with an angry crowd acting completely out of the ordinary is a nice change of pace”

Rupert ran a hand over his face, wiping away some of the sweat before muttering: “Shit... And I thought my life was already weird enough because of the anomalies” His grumbling did not go unnoticed. Still, no one seemed particularly interested in responding.

Anyway, getting back to the aspects of our situation that actually mattered, there was something I had already realized quite clearly: our peaceful way out of here had been completely cut off. Before, the crowd had seemed merely uneasy, even with all those eyes constantly fixed on us. Now, however, the situation was different.

People had positioned themselves much more firmly, filling every available space around us. They no longer looked like mere observers. They seemed determined to hold their ground. In practice, they were almost human walls.

I didn't think it would be particularly difficult to force my way through the crowd. With my abilities, I seriously doubted any of them would even be able to touch me if I actually decided to move forward. I could simply push them aside and keep going.

However... I couldn't exactly say that would be one of the more advisable approaches. I could probably make it through the crowd without much trouble, but I also didn't think it would go over particularly well if I started shoving people aside as though I were clearing a path through a forest.

Through the air? Sure. Great plan. But thinking about it more carefully, none of those options would actually solve the problem. At best, they would simply allow me to run away from it. And, as I said before, I don't think they'd let us get anywhere near the residential area that easily again.

And if this bizarre situation was happening throughout the rest of the city as well... Well, that would make things considerably more complicated. There was another problem, too. I had absolutely no idea whether whatever was beneath the intersection would remain there, waiting for me, even after I left.

Maybe it would. Maybe it wouldn't. And honestly, I wasn't willing to bet on it. I let out a quiet sigh as I looked toward the intersection once more. Yeah... Leaving this place is out of the question. In that case, I'll go with the other option. Honestly, I just hope this neighborhood has some kind of insurance against sinkholes.

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